The goal of this program is to provide postdoctoral fellows with research training enabling them to develop independent investigative careers devoted to improving care of the anesthetized/critically ill patient by advancing scientific knowledge in the field. The Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center has intensively invested its resources in the development of multidisciplinary laboratory and clinical research environments to offer state-of-the-art research training experiences. We have also innovated in anesthesiology residency training to provide a research continuum that provides a highly effective preparatory phase prior to T32 enrollment. This proposal outlines the credentials of a distinguished training faculty who are willing and prepared to meet our goal. The training program involves a 2-3 year continuum when the trainees work under the close and direct supervision of a program faculty member on research projects of mutual interest. Emphasis is placed on learning responsible research skills, achieving mastery of the literature, independent hypothesis generation, experimental design, data analysis, presentation of research findings and competition for extramural funding. The trainees are encouraged to exploit relationships established with members of the program faculty for both enrichment of research skill repertoires and development of long-term collaborative relationships. The program is directed by the Program Director and a Research Council consisting of 6 senior scientists and the departmental chair. Trainees formally report to the program leadership at quarterly intervals to allow assessment of trainee performance and progress in achieving program goals. Trainees are sought from a national pool of eligible candidates with emphasis placed on recruitment of under-represented minority trainees. The primary focus of this program is the research training of select post-doctoral fellows. However, the program also is the cornerstone of our departmental research training endeavor setting high standards for investigative training offered to medical students, residents, junior faculty, and visiting scholars who participate in the research training process.